THRISSUR: A man threatened bank staff with a knife and made off with Rs 15 lakh in broad daylight at Potta, Chalakudy, on Friday. The incident occurred at 2:15 pm at the Federal Bank branch opposite Little Flower Church.
CCTV footage shows the man parking his scooter outside the bank before rushing in. With most staff on lunch break, only the manager and an attendant were present.
After threatening the staff using a knife, the suspect locked them in the bathroom and broke the glass of the cash counter using a chair. Without any delay, he took the cash available at the counter, put it in his backpack bag and rushed out.
"We came to know about the incident from local people only. Police arrived at the spot immediately. This is really scary as no one expects such incidents in broad daylight," shared Raphy, who runs a nearby shop.
An officer in Chalakudy police station said that the probe is on and they were trying to identify the person behind the crime.
"From the CCTV visuals obtained so far, the suspect took pocket roads after the crime instead of taking National Highway. The entire robbery was conducted in less than 3 minutes which indicates the kind of homework before the actual crime," the officer said.
K Saneeshkumar Joseph MLA said that the police were doing their best to find the suspect.
"It should be assumed that the suspect would have visited and observed the bank before planning the task as he was well aware about lunch break timings, number of staff and the time when the bank is not so crowded," he said.
The suspect was wearing a helmet, a mask and gloves on both hands, making it difficult for police to identify the person.